Current Projects:

Consultants David Powell Associates begin work on Economic Impact Study

Economic Study Will Measure Culture’s Contribution to County’s Well-Being

Cultural industries make up more than 7% of the economy and are one of the fastest growing sectors, with a growth rate twice that of the rest of the economy.  
--- Data from DCMS and SEEDA

Research into the impact of culture on the county’s prosperity is being commissioned by Oxford Inspires. Funding for an economic impact study has already come from Arts Council England and local agencies, with preliminary work expected to start in the new year.

Creative organisations and businesses connected with culture and the arts will all be sent a questionnaire as part of an initial audit. Its aim is not only to measure the size of the cultural sector but also to find out what sort of support might be needed to help it grow in the future. A series of focus group meetings is also planned – and there will be an opportunity to air views at Oxfordshire County Council’s Cultural Forum in April.

Oxford Inspires Chief Executive Sarah Maxfield said: “The economic impact study will be more than a simple research project: it will operate as a blueprint for planning the future growth of the cultural and creative industries. We aim to involve senior local politicians, business leaders and the Business Schools of both universities.

“Our vision is to promote an Oxfordshire which is internationally recognised as a leading city and region for culture – and to ensure that culture is fully integrated into any consideration of the future well being of the county. In order to achieve this we first need to review and understand the local picture better.”

The economic impact study will also contribute to the development of the county’s tourism policy. Independent evaluation has already shown that cultural programmes such as Evolving City and Oxfordshire 2007, which were coordinated and marketed by Oxford Inspires on behalf of local organisations, contributed to the county’s economy by bringing in new funding, new visitors and extra business.

Singing Histories

Click here to download the Singing Histories booklet (PDF, 6.4 MB)

A new project is taking an interesting approach to encouraging people to sing. Oxford Inspires, Oxfordshire County Council's Oxford Folk Festival, Oxfordshire Studies unit and County Music Service have banded together with the national Sing the Nation project to produce a very special new songbook – it will contain songs written in and about Oxfordshire.

Musicologist and folk expert Tim Healey has been all over the county researching and collecting Oxfordshire related songs for the book whist archivist, Dr Malcolm Graham has been sourcing images to go with the songs.

The songbook includes folk songs, carols, rounds and even some more recent songs. The oldest, The Boar’s Head Carol, was written in 1521, and there are songs from across the centuries since, from all over the county. Near Woodstock Town tells the tragic story of a girl with a broken heart while Dr Darwin is a Victorian Ballad which pokes fun at the famous naturalist; both songs are found in Oxford’s Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads Catalogue.

The songbook will be available through libraries and online from the beginning of April with two official launches of the book. The first one was at the Holywell Music Room on 21 March as part of the 2009 Oxford Folk Festival which runs from 20 to 22 March 2009. The second was at the Centre for Oxfordshire Studies at the Westgate Library on 23 March.

At both launches, local choirs taught the audience some of the songs so that nobody could leave without humming an Oxfordshire song to pass on to family and friends. The songbook will be a fascinating resource for people who use the Centre for research into local history as well as giving Oxfordshire folk songs back to the people who originally wrote them.

ONGOING WORK AND PROJECTS:

Creative Communities
Helping to develop and market events and festivals that bring people together to celebrate -- and give Oxfordshire a reputation, at home and abroad, as a centre of cultural innovation and excellence.

Oxford Inspires is working to increase the national profile of festivals and events across the county. This includes supporting the organisers of Alice's Day and The Children's Food Festival, as well as working to bring a major international arts festival for children to the county by 2011. A new event to rival Luminox for knockout factor is also part of the equation, if funds can be raised. Oxford Inspires will help to build capacity and provide umbrella marketing.

Creative Connections
Creating new and exciting ways of attracting people to culture - and inspiring artists to be innovative and ambitious.

From 2010 we hope to connect the worlds of art and science in an exciting events programme developed in partnership with the Oxford Trust and culminating in Oxfordshire Science Week in 2011. We are keen to encourage unusual art in unusual settings, using Oxfordshire's world class buildings, landscape and history as creative inspiration for artists, musicians and performers.

Creative Learning

Building partnerships between schools and creative organisations to enhance learning.

We are working to expand the national Creative Partnerships programme in Oxfordshire -- giving schools access to advice and funding for creative learning projects and providing new work opportunities for artists. 

Creative Spaces

Working to improve facilities for creative people and organisations

We are supporting the redevelopment of Oxford's Old Fire Station as a centre for creative skills and arts participation, a project led by Oxford City Council in partnership with Crisis, the homelessness charity. 

Creative Capacity

Making the case for culture, attracting new investment and helping cultural organisations to grow.

We are commissioning research to measure the economic impact of culture in the county as part of our role to speak up for culture and its importance across a range of forums. We continue to try to attract new opportunities and money for culture into the county – including those generated by the national Cultural Olympiad to 2012.